Gilgamesh

A quiet progressive rock outfit with strong jazz fusion leanings, Gilgamesh emerged from the fringes of the fertile and beloved "Canterbury scene" as sort of an astute kid brother to <a href="spotify:artist:3nYGhK3zYoTm2Yz1KduuUM">Hatfield and the North</a>. Amanda Parsons also contributed crystalline backing vocals to both groups. With Gilgamesh, keyboardist <a href="spotify:artist:4MgV7TItyaupmtZVT6uipA">Alan Gowen</a> attempted to erase the division between composed and improvised music, placing emphasis on texture and mood. The band broke up after one album, after which <a href="spotify:artist:4MgV7TItyaupmtZVT6uipA">Gowen</a> jumped between various Canterbury-related projects.

In 1978, <a href="spotify:artist:4MgV7TItyaupmtZVT6uipA">Gowen</a> joined <a href="spotify:artist:0ndN9q4oJhj17CwxLJonda">National Health</a>, then re-formed Gilgamesh for a reunion LP, Another Fine Tune You've Got Me Into. This second effort featured the talents of legendary <a href="spotify:artist:5A0MH7JfEBEMySevsmauds">Soft Machine</a> bassist <a href="spotify:artist:4e9osZQKPYzAaIceas7ezQ">Hugh Hopper</a>. <a href="spotify:artist:4MgV7TItyaupmtZVT6uipA">Gowen</a> teamed with <a href="spotify:artist:4e9osZQKPYzAaIceas7ezQ">Hopper</a> for several more albums, most notably Two Rainbows Daily. In 1982, <a href="spotify:artist:4MgV7TItyaupmtZVT6uipA">Gowen</a> succumbed to leukemia and <a href="spotify:artist:0ndN9q4oJhj17CwxLJonda">National Health</a> dedicated their third release to his memory. Titled D.S. al Coda, it included compositions by <a href="spotify:artist:4MgV7TItyaupmtZVT6uipA">Gowen</a> that were written but had not yet appeared on an album -- until the release of the Playtime CD by the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Cuneiform%22">Cuneiform</a> label in 2001. <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Cuneiform%22">Cuneiform</a> also released a Gilgamesh archival compilation titled Arriving Twice in 2000, featuring previously unreleased tracks from three separate incarnations of the group between 1973 and 1975. Gilgamesh drummer <a href="spotify:artist:1sEIyMxpg5JJAh16UqdbkX">Trevor Tomkins</a> died on September 9, 2022 at the age of 81. ~ Peter Kurtz, Rovi